This adventure will preempt the completion of last year’s story of our sailing on a windjammer along coastal Maine.  Since retiring, I’ve become even better at procrastinating.  I hope to stay current with this effort, as we work our way across the Western States of North America.  We are in Grand Teton National Park.  We’ll stay here a week to ten days before moving up to Yellowstone National Park.  From there the “very loose” plan is to head into Montana following an excursion into the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustang Reserve.  If the weather doesn’t get nasty, we will venture from Glacier National Park across Idaho to Olympic National Park in Washington.  And from there … we’ll make that plan when we get there. 

We left our Central Texas home the morning of August 27.  The departure was slow due to a planned stop for groceries and RV supplies at a Wal-Mart in Lampasas.  It was a bit past noon before we turned North on IH35.  As luck would have it, we headed into a late summer cold front.  We were bucking a headwind.

Crossing into Oklahoma was a milestone.  It was the first time Jane had been to Oklahoma.  She was excited enough to call her friend Phillias to let her know that we were in her hometown of Ardmore.  We spent a night in Oklahoma at an RV Park better left unmentioned.

Our wind-swept journey across the beautiful ranching and farm lands of Kansas and Nebraska was rushed.  The camera stayed in the bag the entire way, avoiding the temptation to spend several days sightseeing.  It was the first time in Kansas and Nebraska for both of us.  But — The Tetons were calling.

Probably the most exciting part of getting here (Tetons) was the trip across Togwotee Pass.  We had been advised of road construction but were told that it was “not too bad.”  That was a locals advice.  It was a long section of unpaved road.  Pulling a very light, 23-foot travel trailer, we crossed in a snow storm, preceded by rain and sleet.  We were slipping and sliding and the trailer was bouncing.  It was “too bad.”

But, coming down out of those mountains and seeing Grand Teton for the first time was a breathtaking sight.  Even though clouds covered her peak and intermittent rain obscured the view, I was speechless. 

I must add, also, that the trip north along US 287/26 was very interesting.  Passing through Fort Washakie and the Wind River Indian Reservation gave us a feel for the Old West and a rugged lifestyle from which this area evolved.

Dubois is an extremely touristy town along Wind River and a far cry from the rugged far west culture of its surroundings.  It looks (and is) expensive – but beautiful. 

We had learned earlier that Jackson is the town to the south of Grand Teton National Park.  Jackson Hole refers to the entire valley beneath the mountains.  We came into the valley through Moran and drove through Jackson Hole with occasional  “turnouts,” trying to see the mountains through the clouds.  A ray of sun would break through but the peaks remained covered by clouds.  There was heavy snow at the upper levels.

We pulled into our site in Gros Ventre Campgrounds (pronounced grovont) early in the afternoon of August 30.  It was miserably cold with intermittent showers.  Gros Ventre is a no frills campground.  There is a bathroom but now showers and, of course, no hookups.  There is a dump station and potable water.  We’ll be fine for our planned 8-day stay.

A quick lunch and we were off to see the sights.  It was a tad disappointing.  Rain and cold tried to dampen our spirits.  We weathered the conditions, however, managing a few laughs and pressing on.  As Jane would later put it, “We’re having Wild Kingdom day.”

We drove into Jackson for fuel and to get oriented.  We had hoped to visit the National Elk Reserve adjoining Jackson but were disappointed to find that elk would be in the higher elevations until mid-October.  Plan B was an orientation of Grand Teton National Park.

The designated “turnouts” in the park are excellent guides to seeing sights and wildlife.  Even though viewed primarily from inside the truck, we did manage to enjoy a sight-filled afternoon. We drove self-guided vehicle tours of both North and South Jenny Lake drives and climbed to the summit of Signal Mountain.  You can see the entire valley (Jackson Hole) and much of the meandering Snake River from there.  Many of the lakes are also visible – a very impressive view.  But it was REALLY cold atop that windswept, cloud covered Summit.  We were too anxious to get back to the truck to enjoy and extended view.  This photograph is a cloud-shrouded view of the Tetons looking across Jenny Lake.

A really good thing from foul weather is the evening light.  This image is looking east across the valley with the evening sun setting the Gros Ventre Mountains aglow.  With barely enough light on the valley floor to hold the camera steady, I was thrilled with this image.

Our first day was nearly done, but not until we spotted a cow moose browsing in the willow trees along the Gros Ventre River.  It was too dark for photos but confirmed that we definitely were in Wild Kingdom.

With little to do at the campground and the end to a grueling day, we turned in early, hoping for a break in this horribly cold weather.

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